"Microsoft's Response to Zero-Day Exploits and Security Vulnerabilities"
Microsoft has patched a zero-day vulnerability in Windows Defender SmartScreen that was exploited by the financially motivated threat group Water Hydra to deploy the DarkMe remote access trojan (RAT) targeting foreign exchange traders. The zero-day (CVE-2024-21412) was used in spearphishing attacks on forex trading forums and stock trading Telegram channels, with the attackers impersonating a forex broker platform to trick traders into installing the malware. This is not the first time Water Hydra has exploited zero-day vulnerabilities, having previously targeted trading accounts using a vulnerability in WinRAR.